How the internet shamed a man who fat-shamed his wife

Robbie Tripp posted this image of him with his wife alongside his fat-shaming post. Photo / Instagram

By Claire Cohen

Friday August 4, 2017, was a day Robbie Tripp will probably struggle to forget. It was the day his Instagram post to his wife Sarah went viral and turned him into an internet hate figure.

Robbie shared a picture of the couple on the beach and told the world how much he loves Sarah's curves (Sarah, who looked perfectly normal sized and attractive). Or as Robbie put it, her 'thick thighs, big booty, cute little side roll."

In the open letter, the 26-year-old "entrepreneur" wrote that he used to be teased as a teenager "for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones who were shorter and curvier, girls that the average (basic) bro might refer to as 'chubby' or even 'fat'."

He went on to explain that he had since "educated myself on issues such as feminism" and now realises that "a real woman is not a porn star or a bikini mannequin or a movie character."

View this post on Instagram

|| I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones who were shorter and curvier, girls that the average (basic) bro might refer to as "chubby" or even "fat." Then, as I became a man and started to educate myself on issues such as feminism and how the media marginalizes women by portraying a very narrow and very specific standard of beauty (thin, tall, lean) I realized how many men have bought into that lie. For me, there is nothing sexier than this woman right here: thick thighs, big booty, cute little side roll, etc. Her shape and size won't be the one featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan but it's the one featured in my life and in my heart. There's nothing sexier to me than a woman who is both curvy and confident; this gorgeous girl I married fills out every inch of her jeans and is still the most beautiful one in the room. Guys, rethink what society has told you that you should desire. A real woman is not a porn star or a bikini mannequin or a movie character. She's real. She has beautiful stretch marks on her hips and cute little dimples on her booty. Girls, don't ever fool yourself by thinking you have to fit a certain mold to be loved and appreciated. There is a guy out there who is going to celebrate you for exactly who you are, someone who will love you like I love my Sarah. || photo cred: @kaileehjudd

A post shared by ROBBIE TRIPP™ (@tripp) on Jul 30, 2017 at 6:10pm PDT

His 265 words divided opinion. Some saw it for the patronising rubbish it was, essentially saying: "I love you anyway".

Others (presumably the 32,000 people who liked it on Instagram) thought Robbie was adorable - or simply weren't paying attention.

And if Robbie thought that the mud-slinging would die down over the weekend, he was very much mistaken. Thousands of people have now turned his letter into memes, posting them on Twitter. They all use the opening line from his post, alongside images we might perceive as "curvy".

The message seems to be: stop fat shaming. You are not a hero for finding a woman who isn't supermodel-thin attractive.

Here are some of the best.

I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones w pic.twitter.com/j7a6NOp8UJ

— Scaachi (@Scaachi) August 4, 2017

I love this woman and her curvy body. as a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones w pic.twitter.com/8p0CRF4Paq

— crazy broke asian (@tribranchvo) August 7, 2017

I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones w pic.twitter.com/Ry8cy7IOla

— ADVM (@StackPride) August 7, 2017

I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones w pic.twitter.com/aroLStjbUK

— BrionneChu (@brionnechu) August 7, 2017

I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones w pic.twitter.com/w7KLVzwavG

— bobby wasabi (@bIondiewasabi) August 7, 2017

I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones w pic.twitter.com/hTCzCkJ7WR

— c☁️ (@c1tlali) August 7, 2017

At least Robbie seems to be taking it all in his stride: